1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a clothes treatment apparatus in which hot air is supplied to an interior of a drum using a heat pump.
2. Background
A clothes treatment apparatus may refer to a washing machine performing a function of washing clothes, a dryer performing a function of drying washed clothes, or a washer/drier performing both washing and drying function. Recently, clothes treatment apparatuses including a steam generating device supporting a refresh function such as removing wrinkles, odor, static electricity of clothes, or a sterilization function have been developed.
In general, a clothes treatment apparatus including a dry function may include a hot air supply unit supplying hot air to the laundry introduced to a clothes accommodation unit such as a drum, or the like, and dry the laundry, while evaporating moisture of the laundry. The hot air supply unit may be classified into a gas type heater, an electric heater, or a heat pump system according to heat source for heating air.
The heat pump system may apply heat to air discharged from a drum using a refrigerant circulating a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator and subsequently supply heat to the drum again. Compared with the gas type heater or the electric heater, the heat pump system may have excellent energy efficiency, and thus, research into ways for applying the heat pump system to a hot air supply unit of a heat treatment apparatus has been actively conducted.
Among clothes treatment apparatuses, a drum type of washing and drying machine may include a tub provided within a hexahedral cabinet and a drum rotatably provided within the tub. Compared with other internal components of the cabinet, the tub (or drum), having a cylindrical shape, may be so large in volume that it occupies a majority of an internal space of the cabinet. For example, an outer circumferential portion of the tub may be close to left and right side surfaces, upper or lower surface of the cabinet.
In order to apply the heat pump system to the drum type washing and drying machine, a heat pump system such as a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator may be provided in a space excluding a space occupied by the tub (including drum) within the cabinet, specifically, in a space above the tub, a space below the tub, or a space between corners on the side of the cabinet above the tub. When the heat pump system is applied to the related art clothes treatment apparatus, since a compressor is voluminous and generates vibration and noise, the compressor may generally be disposed in a space between the tub and a lower surface of the cabinet.
However, in applying the heat pump system to the related art clothes treatment apparatus, when heat exchangers such as the evaporator and the condenser are positioned above the tub and the compressor is positioned below the tub, the following problems may arise. First, when the compressor and heat exchangers are separately positioned, it may be difficult to assemble the compressor and the heat exchangers.
Second, in the related art clothes treatment apparatus, since the compressor and the heat exchangers are separated from one another, it may be impossible to inspect a performance of the heat pump system before the compressor and the heat exchangers are assembled as a complete product. If a performance defect problem of the heat pump arises due to leakage of a refrigerant, or the like, the compressor and the heat exchangers should be disassembled, a corresponding defective part should be replaced, and the compressor and the heat exchanges may be re-assembled.
Third, when the compressor and the heat exchanger are positioned away from each other, a connection pipe between the compressor and the evaporator and a connection pipe between the compressor and the condenser extend, which may cause energy loss. Patent documents D1 (dryer) and D2 (drum type of washing and drying machine) as related arts of the present disclosure disclose a clothes treatment apparatuses employing a heat pump system.
FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a structure in which a heat pump system 30 is disposed above a tub 2 in a dryer of the related art Patent document D1. In the heat pump system 30, air discharged from the center above the tub 2 may be intaken by an intake fan 9, pass through an evaporator 34 and a condenser 32, heat exchanged with a refrigerant, and subsequently supplied again to a drum 3. A compressor 31 may receive a gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator 34, compress the refrigerant to have a high temperature and high pressure, and supply the compressed refrigerant to the condenser 32.
In D1, the tub 2 may be downwardly sloped at about 30 degrees toward areas of a cabinet 1, and thus, a rear space between the upper side of the tub 2 and a top cover 1c may be relatively large so that a vertical compressor 31 may extended in a vertical direction. However, in D1, in a case in which a tilt angle of the tub 2 is less than 10 degrees or almost horizontal, the rear space between the upper side and the top cover 1c may be relatively reduced to be insufficient for installing a vertical compressor.
In addition, in D1, two holes may be formed in an upper central surface and rear surface of the tub 2, and the tub 2 and the heat exchangers 34 and 32 may be connected by ducts 581 and 582 through the holes. However, the two holes formed on the tub 2 may degrade rigidity of the tub 2. EP 2 339 063 A2 and EP 2 281 934 A1 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.